Huge cache of Epstein documents reveals emails with wealthy and powerful figures

A huge new tranche of files on millionaire financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein released on Friday revealed details of his communications with the wealthy and powerful some not long before he died by suicide in 2019The Justice Department said it was disclosing more than 3 million pages of documents as well as thousands of videos and photos as required by a law passed by CongressBy Friday evening more than 600000 documents had been published online Millions of files that prosecutors had identified as potentially subject to release under the law remain under wraps however drawing criticism from DemocratsHeres what we know so far about the files now being reviewed by a team of Associated Press reportersEpstein talked politics with Steve Bannon and an exObama officialThe documents show Epstein exchanged hundreds of friendly texts with Steve Bannon a top adviser to President Donald Trump some months before Epsteins deathThey discussed politics travel and a documentary Bannon was said to be planning that would help salvage Epsteins reputationIn March 2019 Bannon asked Epstein if he could supply his plane to pick him up in RomeA couple of months later Epstein messaged Bannon Now you can understand why Trump wakes up in the middle of the night sweating when he hears you and I are friendsThe context is unclear from the documents which were released with many redactions and little clear organisationAnother 2018 exchange focused on Trumps threats at the time to oust Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell whom he had named to the post just the year priorAround the same time Epstein also communicated with Kathy Ruemmler a lawyer and former Obama White House official In a typofilled email he warned thatDemocrats should stop demonising Trump as a Mafiatype figure even as he derided the president as a maniacBannon did not immediately respond to a message from the AP seeking comment Ruemmler said through a spokesperson she was associated with Epstein professionally during her time as a lawyer in private practice and now regrets ever knowing himHe also chatted with Elon Musk and Howard Lutnick about island visitsBillionaire Tesla founder Elon Musk emailed Epstein in 2012 and 2013 about visiting his infamous island compound the scene of many allegations of sexual abuseEpstein inquired in an email about how many people Musk would like flown by helicopter and Musk responded that it would likely be just him and his partner at the timeWhat daynight will be the wildest party on our island he wrote according to the Justice Department recordsIts not immediately clear if the island visits took place Spokespersons for Musks companies Tesla and X didnt immediately respond to emails seeking comment FridayMusk has maintained that he repeatedly turned down the disgraced financiers overtures Epstein tried to get me to go to his island and I REFUSED he posted on X in 2025Epstein also invited Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to the island in Dec 2012 Lutnicks wife enthusiastically accepted the invitation and said they would arrive on a yacht with their children The two also had drinks on another occasion in 2011 according to a scheduleSix years later they emailed about the construction of a building across the street from both of their homesLutnick has distanced himself from Epstein calling him gross and saying in 2025 that he cut ties decades ago He didnt respond to an emailed request for comment on Friday afternoonThe records also have new details on Epsteins incarceration and suicideEpstein was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges in July 2019 and found dead in his cell just over a month laterThe latest batch of documents includes emails between investigators about Epsteins death including an investigators observation that his final communication doesnt look like a suicide noteMultiple investigations have determined that Epsteins death was a suicideThe records also detail a trick that jail staffers used to fool the media gathered outside while Epsteins body was removed they used boxes and sheets to create what appeared to be a body and loaded it into a white van labelled as belonging to the Office of the Chief Medical ExaminerThe reporters followed the van when it left the jail not knowing that Epsteins actual body was loaded into a black vehicle which departed unnoticed according to the interview notesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever